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A platter of halloween spaghetti with mozzarella eyes on a spooky table with skeleton hand decorations.
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Halloween Spaghetti

This Halloween Spaghetti recipe with homemade sauce and mozzarella eyeballs is the perfect spooky meal for Halloween night!
Author Diana
Servings 6 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 medium white onion minced
  • 6 large cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tomato paste
  • 1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoons (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
  • 2 28-oz (1.6 l) cans of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup chopped basil
  • 1 lb (450 g) spaghetti noodles cooked

Eyeballs

  • 8 oz (225 g) fresh mozzarella ciliegine
  • 8-10 large pitted black olives
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, minced onions, and minced garlic to a medium or large heavy bottomed pot. Saute over medium high heat until fragrant and golden.
  • Add tomato paste, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar to the garlic and onions. Saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes and the seasonings including the baking soda, stir well. Bring to a simmer.
  • Once simmering add the fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer for at least 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • While the sauce is simmering you can make the mozzarella eyeballs. Start by draining and lightly rinsing the mozzarella balls.
  • Use a wide mouthed straw (boba style works great) as a cutter, gently press one end of the straw about halfway through the mozzarella ball, do not puncture all the way through. Remove the straw and use a small paring knife to remove the small circle of mozzarella that the straw cut. Do this to all of the mozzarella balls, set aside.
  • Slice all of the olives in half lengthwise. Use an averaged size drinking straw as a cookie cutter to cut small circles out of the olives, these will become the pupils of the eyes, cut as many as you have mozzarella balls. Set aside.
  • To serve on a large platter, create nests of the cooked spaghetti noodles by twisting around a fork then slipping off the fork onto a platter. Spoon the hot sauce over the top of the spaghetti.
  • Place one mozzarella eyeball onto the top of each spaghetti nest. Using a spoon or a dropper, carefully fill each mozzarella ball with olive oil, then place one of the pupils in the middle.
  • Garnish with fresh basil and fresh parmesan if desired.

Notes

  • If you don't have straws, look around your kitchen for something else to use! Piping tips can work as cutters, or you can just carefully use a paring knife to make the circular cuts.
  • If your black olive pupils don't want to float in the oil, trim a little bit of weight off the back of the pieces and that should solve the problem.
  • Serving tip! Sprinkle the mozzarella eyeballs with a little bit of salt just before serving to really make the flavors pop.
  • Make individual plates instead of a large platter. I made larger spaghetti nests that fit two mozzarella balls, and they turned out so cute!

Nutrition

Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 1202mg | Potassium: 1122mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1124IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 351mg | Iron: 5mg